Chatroulette is a website that pairs random strangers for webcam-based conversations, for the primary purpose of being able to watch each other masturbate. Visitors to the website randomly begin an online chat (video, audio and text) with another visitor, who is usually masturbating.

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Overview

The Chatroulette web site was created by Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17-year-old high school student in Moscow. Ternovskiy says the concept arose from video chats he used to have with friends on Skype, however his parents credit card bills of the time showed significant charges to pornographic web-cam sites, which since the inception of Chatroulette are no longer appearing.

As of March 2010, the site is supported by advertising links to an online dating service. Previously it was funded by a $10,000 investment from his parents desperate to get their credit card bills back under control.

Culture

Chatroulette has now entered the youth culture. Phrases coming from the usage of chatroulette include nexted, describing a participant whose chat partner clicks the Chatroulette Next button to move on to a new partner. Also entering the parlance of youth is sexted, when the next individual is already masturbating.

On February 27 at the Soundwave Festival in Melbourne, Australia, Faith No More streamed their festival performance live on Chatroulette. The crowd who paid $150 a ticket to see the band were ecstatic to find out that this was also being streamed around the world for free, although somewhat disgusted that most of the chat partners watching the performance seemed to be sexually excited by it.

Game play

The website requires users to be at least 211816 old enough to be able to click on a mouse button, and prohibits pornographic behaviour. Users who experience harassment or witness illegal, immoral, or pornographic activity may report the offending user. After three users have complained about the same participant, he or she is banned from the service for 10 minutes. Records of chatroulette show that there have been at least 3 users who this has happened to.

To play a game, click on "New Game" button above. As soon as you realise that your partner is a middle aged man masturbating, then click "Next", or click "Report", because that definitely reports them.